Let’s be honest—along with sleeping, partying, and procrastinating, snacking is a favorite past time for college students. Anything pre-fried and frozen is the quickest way to our hearts. Toss in some cheese and you’ll pretty much achieve saint status.
photo credit: cookistry.blogspot.com
I’m not here to take all the fun out of snacking—just some of the fat and calories! And since we snack like we’re trying to make a career out of it, why not take all the opportunities to get some extra nutrition?
The next few posts will provide some trade-outs you can try instead of the usual snack foods. Get ready to say goodbye to pizza roles, potato chips, and processed foods—without having to bid farewell to flavor and that happy feeling that comes along with a perfect snack.
Let’s start with a fan favorite: pizza rolls. I know it’s almost blasphemous to propose a substitute for these gooey little pockets, but the amount of fat and processed ingredients they contain is just as profane.
Alternative #1:
What you’ll need:
Whole wheat English muffins (a whole muffin is only about 100 calories)
Pasta sauce (look for the kind that’s low on sugar)
Your favorite cheese
Parsley (optional)
Toast English muffin halves until crispy on the edges. Top each muffin half with 3 tbsp of sauce. Add a sprinkle of your favorite shredded cheese and microwave for a few seconds until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
[Get creative and add any of your favorite pizza toppings you might have around: canned mushrooms, pineapple, peppers, etc.]
Alternative #2
What you’ll need:
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers (Meijer and Kroger carry them)
photo and recipe credit: healthystudentbody.com
2 cups of pasta sauce
Your favorite cheese
Any other pizza toppings you like
Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Mix the pasta sauce, cheese, and any other toppings in a bowl. Place a dollop on the middle of each wrapper and roll them up. Place roll-ups on the cookie sheet and spray them with cooking spray. Sprinkle with parsley and garlic powder. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
College kid tip: Freeze any leftovers you have and next time a snack attack comes along you’ll have a healthy alternative.
Come back next time and get ready to replace the potato chips on your shelf with a crunchy and delicious alternative.
No More Ramen: A college student's culinary adventure 
Easy to make snacks with only a few ingredients that won’t make you regret having eaten them. Yeah, I’ll have to try these. Thanks for the post.
I love pizza rolls, and these alternative snacks sound awesome. I just ate dinner, but the English muffin pizza snack sounds so yummy I almost went to try it anyway.
Thanks for the recipes!
If you guys try these recipes I would love to know what you think!
I finally got the cheese to try out Alternative 1, and I really liked it! So fast, easy, cheap, and yummy!
I’m so glad to hear it turned out well! I was perusing some other food blogs and one suggested using a rice cake instead of an english muffin or bagel. I don’t know how you feel about rice cakes, but I think that variation has some potential too!
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